Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-15
MRS. LANGTRY SPEAKS.
Her Practice With the Foils-An Ex-
perience In Boys
Clothes.
What She Thinks of the Part of Lady
Teazle-something About the Per
sonal Attraction.
Correspondence of the Gazette.


NEW YORK, Aug. 1O.-Somewhere in
that marvellous book, "The Newcomes,"
Th2ckela7 repr a. el's Cleve in moment
of boyish enthusiasm over the Venus de
Milo discoursing on the beauty Of repose.
IL the o ddess should descend from her
pedestal he tells how he would have her,
if | remember the passage Alright, move
slowly to couch and assume an attitude
Of graceful rest and resttul grace. The
picture Of statue with one arm, stretch
ing it's chiseled limbs at full length even
on an antique sofa, to say nothing of an
awful modern affair, is not particularly
impressive picture. But the youthful en-
thusiast probably did not think of that
Then he would not have Venus laugh on
any account. She must have no sense of
humor at all In short the young man
seemed to think that he could fully satisfy
his mind and soul with the contemplation
of this perfect figure falling into an end
less series of lovely and graceful photo
graphic positions
Well, perhaps he could; but it's doubt
full.
Mrs. Langtry would have commanded
the admiration Of Thsckersy's hero to a
certain extent. For, to certain extent
she is statueslue but she has q healthy
appreciation of the humorous side Of life,
and she laughs occasionally in conSe-
quence-softly and unsteady, it is true,
but still she laughs. Then her eyes have
hsbit of testifying to the thoughts and
emotions which for the moment possess
her, cleaning al times with fun, FISHING
at intervals, il must be said with indiena-
ton. and again growing tender with feel-
ing as she speaks of some particularly
kind reception which she has experienced.
And yet as l have said, there is q
great deal Of the statuesque about
her. She certainly moves with exceeding
slOwness. As she talked TO me the other
day about her plans and her plays and
her lawsuits, while seated in her drawing
room, she waved fan so laDguidly to and
fro that it's excursions might easily have
been timed with stop watch.
eyes" she said, ~ am going to do q
fencing scene in my next play and wear
boys clothes. l have praCticed fencing
for several years. l began in England
simply for the purpose of exercise. 1t is
difficult to do any walking in London, it
rains so much and the streets are so
muddy so l took up fencing as substi-
tute for walking. No, do not know
that Mr.. Coghlsn wrote the play with
any idea of giving me an oppor-
tunity to display whatever skill l
possess in this direction. There was 8
cable dispatch printed last winter to the
effect that some one in London was writ
ing me a play in which would do some
fencing. The report wasn't true, but
remarked to Mr.. Coghlan that it wasn't q
bad idea. He didn't say anything, but
about two weeks afterward he told me
lat he had the plot of, a play outlined,
which he thought wass pretty strong
found that he had included duel with
swords among the incidents Of the story,
and altogether | was delighted with the
scenerium. | have very strong part in
the play, indeed the strongest | have
ever played, and | believe the play
will be 8 success. l have the
contest with swords while in boys clothes
in the last act, and kill the william. am
glad that this comes in the last act,
for do not think l could do anything
afterwards. Fencing is very exhausting
exercise
"You have appeared in boys clothes on
the stage in England, have you not"
"Oh yes, in Rosalind. GA you mean IN
Mr.. wizards play of the Boy Tramp. /
never played that in London, only in the
provinces. 1t was very successful. The
people seemed to like it. But l had to
drop it from my repertoire.
took dislike to the charter, which was
that OF little actress, bsllet-girl,
rough and perhaps a little tough who
speaks with a Yorkshire dialect. One
day q lady who sat BY friend OF mine in
the stall got up and left the theatre, re-
marking that she would never come 10
see me again-that she thought Mrs
Langtry was lady. Then the career Of
the "B3y Tramp" ended. 1t WAS scarce
~ in my line. Why take it and put il
in? Because am always at my wits enc
for new plays. l am always looking
around for something new which will
take the place of "Peril" and achieve the
same profitable popularity. l have tolC
Mr.. Keagh, who went over to Europe
last Saturday, to bring me back anything
he could find likely TO suit me. Mr.
Kesgh, by the way, will ship to New \ orr
some of the scenes of mY"SchoolfOr Scsn
dap produced in London and sll the cos
tunes which are especially for it and are
very beautiful. shsll probably do the
School for Scandal in America this season
although | am rot particularly in love
with the character of Lady Teszle. l dc
not think it gives an actress very grea
the quarrel scene and the screen scene
and the screen scene practically belongs
to Charles Surface. He has had every
chance to get hold of the audience before
the screen is thrown down, and sftel
thst Lady TeaZe has only four speeches
do not think any actress has ever mad,
great big hit in the character. La any
production l shall have, of course, the as
sistsnce of Mr.. Coghlan, whose Charlie
Surface is slmst unappOachable, and 0
Mr. Everill, VINO is said in England to b.
the best Sir Oliver on the stage"
"And how about your having New
York theatre, Mrs. Lsngtry?"
81 want to get one for next season il
can, though l haven't any idea yet tbs
one, II any of them, can be secured. TIL
report that any one is going to build
theatre for me is untrue. If secure
house 1t will DE one already bullr, and
shall assume all the responsibility.
would then do Anthony and Cleopstra
which l have been prevented from doin
this season. by the fear of the enormous
sums which the railroads would chsrge
under the new railroad law, for trans
porting the scenery. l would like to la
up large stock of new material in tn
way of new piays, so SIS to keep the stag